On your bike for the Chorley Grand Prix this Saturday

Iain Lynn

The 2017 HSBC UK Spring Cup Series heads to Lancashire on Saturday 15 April for the third round of this year’s competition the Chorley Grand Prix.

The third running of the race is the penultimate round of this year’s Spring Cup Series - and could prove to be a thrilling and crucial race in the bid for the 2017 title.

The route

The Spring Cup Series is a four-round British road race series which runs throughout April and May and sees riders compete across a variety of courses.

The series opened on Sunday 2 April as Team Wiggins’ Chris Latham picked up the win at the East Cleveland Klondike Grand Prix before JLT Condor’s Brenton Jones came out on top at the Tour of the Wolds.

The series concludes with two popular events on the road calendar, starting with this weekend’s Chorley Grand Prix before the Lincoln Grand Prix on 14 May.

As well as individual honours for riders, teams also aim to come out on top in the team standings.

Last year's race, over the hills to Belmont

Riders will take to the Lancashire roads for five laps of a course that features a brutal climb and technical descents.

Over 187km, the peloton will set off from Chorley at 11am, heading towards the fearsome Rivington Pike, before descending into Belmont and passing the Belmont Reservoir.

The route then heads north towards Abbey Villages, passing through Wheelton and Euxton before finishing in Chorley town centre.

Edmund Bradbury became the second-ever winner of the Chorley Grand Prix in 2016 - picking up the win for his then team NFTO in treacherous conditions, but will be missing this weekend through injury.